A woman vacationing in the Canary Islands shared an incident where she found herself at odds with her mother over her choice to drink alcohol. The Reddit user, known as “NurseB89,” recounted the experience and sought opinions on whether her actions were appropriate.
She described sitting at a communal dining table with a club-style setup, designed to foster conversation and connection among guests. As she enjoyed a glass of wine, a family joined her, and the mother expressed discomfort, stating, “We don’t want to expose our children to women drinking alcohol.”
In response, the woman smiled, suggesting she might move if that was a concern, but proceeded to sip her wine anyway. According to her account, the family then made passive comments about her behavior.
When she left to get food from the buffet, she returned to find her wine had mysteriously vanished. The waiter approached her, explaining that the family had claimed she looked like a minor and that he needed to check her wristband for verification.
After some apologies, the waiter returned with a fresh glass of wine just as the family was coming back with their meal. Instead of moving to a different table, she boldly requested a full bottle along with some vodka shots. After downing a shot in front of them, the family started to engage more with her.
“What about men who drink alcohol? Is that okay?”
The woman’s story garnered a lot of attention on Reddit, attracting over 2,000 comments, many of which sided with her and questioned the mother’s stance. Some commenters pointed out that if parents were concerned about exposing their children to drinking, they might consider avoiding places where alcohol is served.
Others expressed disbelief at the contradictions, highlighting instances where the mother’s logic seemed misguided. One user quipped, “If your husband drinks, maybe she does it when the kids are asleep. Trying to control someone else is pure arrogance.”
Diane Gottsman, an etiquette expert and owner of the Texas Protocol School, commented on the situation, calling the mother’s behavior inappropriate. She suggested that if the mother was uncomfortable, she should have relocated her family to another table. Guests should be able to enjoy their meals freely without being pressured to follow someone’s personal rules regarding alcohol.
Gottsman concluded that, ultimately, it’s a personal decision whether or not to expose children to alcohol, but everyone at the communal table should have the right to make their own choices.
